The software, from a vendor Bone declined to identify, will allow San Francisco-based McKesson to capture lot and invoice data from the manufacturer. It will then send that on to the customer electronically, along with a digital signature that the customer can use to confirm the integrity of the product, Bone said.

The company projects that the e-pedigree system, which cost "millions of dollars" to create, will be in production by March, he added.

McKesson expects to one day turn to RFID technology to create a next-generation e-pedigree system, but it must first wait for the maturation of standards for attaching RFID tags to pharmaceutical products, Bone said.

FFF Enterprises Inc., a Temecula, Calif.-based distributor of blood plasma products and vaccines, is planning to use electronic pedigree software from SupplyScape Corp. to meet the requirements. The system is expected to be operational in April, said Patrick Schmidt, president and CEO of FFF.

Since 2003, FFF has given consumers access to its Web site, where they can view pedigree information, he said.